Seeing Sparks
by Lady Emily
Summary: Like Bailey didn't have anything better to do with her Sunday than tangle with a psychotic computer that was in love with her ex... Alternate ending to "Computer Date."
1. Chapter 1: Shocks

A/N: Hey all, just a short story based on tonight's ep, "Computer Date"- which I completely loved, by the way. Let me know what you think and I'll have the next chapter up asap!

Disclaimer: I do not own and am not making any profit from the use of these characters.

* * *

It was quiet. Too quiet.

Bailey Pickett frowned to herself as she stepped onto the Sky Deck. Despite the fact that it was a warm, sunny Sunday afternoon, there was not a single student, passenger, or crew member in sight. Jets burbled happily in the empty hot tub. A single spilled smoothie stained the surface of the unattended Easy Squeezy counter. Every few seconds a drop would fall, dripping into the slowly spreading pink puddle on the deck.

A balmy breeze curled itself around the ship, and Bailey shivered despite the heat. What was going on? Where was everybody?

Wrapping her arms around herself subconsciously, Bailey called out. "Hello? Anyone here?"

There was a thump to her left, and then movement, and just as she turned toward the sound she was tackled to the ground. She felt herself being dragged behind the towel counter, and she screamed, only to be muffled by a large hand clapped over her mouth. Her assailant spoke to her in a loud whisper. "Whoa, hang on, I'm not going to hurt you. Bailey, right?"

Bailey continued to struggle. It took her a minute to recognize the tall, lanky, jump-suited man who had attacked her. Shaking his hand off her mouth, she gasped, "Arwin? Zack and Cody's friend from the hotel?"

Arwin released her. "Hey! You do remember me!" he said, pleased. "I know we haven't exactly met in person but I feel like I know you! You're just as pretty as Cody said. Well, used to say." he grinned sheepishly. "So I'm Arwin."

"Right..." Bailey was finding herself slightly overwhelmed by Arwin's enthusiastically chaotic personality. "So, now that we know each other... would you mind telling me what's going on? Where is everybody? Why did you just tackle me, and why are we crouched behind a towel stand?"

"Shh! Keep your voice down! She'll hear you!" Arwin reprimanded in a hiss. "Her audio sensors are very... well, I mean, they're sensors. They're sensitive."

"Who?" Bailey whispered back, starting to feel uneasy. "Is everything okay? Are we in danger?"

"Danger..." Arwin scoffed. He mimed a laugh, then stopped abruptly. "Okay, yeah, we might be in danger. Oh, this is all my fault! Stupid!"

"Arwin!" Bailey hissed, trying to get him to focus. "Tell me what's going on!"

"Oh!" Arwin looked as if he'd nearly forgotten she was there. "Right. Sorry. Here's the short version: I came on board two days ago to set up a computer system that would completely automate all of the ship's functions."

"Wait." Bailey stopped him. "Are you the reason the toilet's been flushing by itself?"

Arwin actually blushed proudly. "Yeah."

"Cool."

"It's kind of an experimental setup, the first one of its kind, but Mr. Tipton insisted that the S.S. Tipton be the first to get one, you know, really it's just to increase engine efficiency, simplify passenger re-"

"Arwin?" Bailey interrupted with a nod, indicating that he could move on.

"Oh, right." Arwin said sheepishly. "Anyway, yesterday the system was working fine, but today, things started to go... well, a little... haywire."

"Haywire... how?" Bailey was almost afraid to ask.

"Well..." Arwin grimaced, trying to find a way around the issue. "Let's just say that the computer developed its own personality, fell in love with a passenger, threw a tantrum, and locked down the ship."

Bailey just blinked at him. "Are you... serious?"

"Deadly." Arwin replied. "People all over the ship are locked in their cabins, the dining halls, the gym... wherever they were when Callie lost her data drops. Luckily, I was able to override the electronic lock in my room. Now I've just got to figure out how to shut her down."

"The computer's name is Callie?" Bailey questioned. "Is that an acronym for Computer-"

"I just like the name!" Arwin cut her off. "How did you get up to the deck?"

Bailey shook her head. "My door wasn't locked. I just walked up." She bit her lip, thinking. "Maybe Cody can help you. He's really good with computers."

"Yeah, a little _too_ good." Arwin muttered under his breath. At Bailey's questioning look, he steepled his fingers and cleared his throat reluctantly. "Here's the thing about Cody... He's the one Callie's in love with, and she's kidnapped him."

"What!" Bailey cried, causing Arwin to slap his hand over her mouth once more. "Sorry!" she whispered, moving his hand. "She _what?_ How? I... He's okay, isn't he? Arwin?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm sure he's fine. Callie is crazy about him, I don't think she'd do him any kind of physical harm." Arwin hastened to reassure her. "Maybe 'kidnapping' wasn't the right phrase. It's more of a... oh, I don't know. Hostage situation?"

"Well, what are we going to do?" Bailey asked anxiously, not reassured. "Do you know where Callie took him?"

"Well, yeah." Arwin said. "The control center adjacent to the engine room. That's where all her equipment is. It's like her base of operations. Or, you know, like, her apartment."

"So... we have to go down there." Bailey guessed. "Somehow we'll have to get in there, rescue Cody, and find a way to shut her off."

"My thoughts exactly." Arwin said approvingly. "But here's the thing- and here's why I was hiding- she's everywhere. She's connected to every electronic device on the ship, and she can monitor any passenger from anywhere. If she sees us coming she can find a way to trap us, too."

Bailey took a deep breath. "Well we can't hide back here for the rest of our lives." she pointed out. "What do you suggest?"

Arwin bit his thumb. "I suggest... we split up." At Bailey's frightened look he explained, "If we try to get at her from two different directions, one of us might distract her, leaving the other to shut her down."

"But I don't know how to shut her down!" Bailey protested.

Arwin shrugged easily. "Cody will help you."

"If we get there in time..." Bailey murmured softly. She and Cody weren't dating anymore, but that didn't mean she couldn't be worried about him, right?

Arwin rested a hand awkwardly on her shoulder. "We will." he reassured her. "Look, you start working your way down to the control room. I'll take the service elevator down to the lowest deck and approach from the opposite direction. It'll be hard for her to keep her eyes on both of us... especially when she has to watch out for Cody."

Bailey nodded bravely. "Okay, let's do this."

Arwin nodded back. "All right. We've got this. Move out!"


	2. Chapter 2: Resistors

A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I, too, would have liked to see Bailey in this ep... luckily you have me to predict how she would react lol. Enjoy chapter 2!  


* * *

The corridors of the S.S. Tipton had never been more eerie. The fact that they were deserted was bad enough, but it was the shouting and the screaming coming from behind nearly every door that rattled Bailey. Passing the gym, Bailey heard a familiar voice shrieking amongst the cacophony of panic.

"Hey! Let us out! Help!"

Bailey pressed against the door. "London?"

"Bailey? Get us out of here!" the heiress demanded.

"I'm working on it." Bailey promised. "Just calm down. I'm helping Arwin, and we're going to rescue Cody and get everyone released. Just hang on."

"Bailey! What happened to Cody?"

Bailey started at the sound of Zack's anxious voice. With everyone else yelling, she hadn't realized he was in there. She sighed, knowing her answer wasn't going to make Zack happy- for all he taunted his brother, he could be very protective when Cody was actually in trouble. "Callie's holding him hostage in the computer room." she explained. "Don't worry though, Arwin says she's not going to hurt him."

She could almost hear Zack's eyes widening. "Arwin! What does Arwin know? Get us out of here, Bailey! I have to find Cody." He pounded on the door once more.

She winced. Trying to free Zack and London would take valuable time that she might not have. It would be better to find Callie and stop the problem at the source. "Sorry, Zack, no time. Don't worry, I'll find a way to help Cody. I promise!" She gave the door a soft tap. "Hang in there, guys."

Feeling guilty for leaving her friends trapped, but knowing there was nothing she could do, Bailey continued down the hallway, drawing closer and closer to the computer control center. The computer room door was cracked slightly open, and Bailey pressed herself flat against the wall, edging closer and closer until she could hear voices inside.

"Callie, you don't have to do this. You're causing a panic. People could get hurt!" Cody.

"The humans are trying to tear us apart. They must be eliminated." A calm, tinny voice responded. The unnatural tone- as much as the words!- made Bailey shudder. Of course, this could only be Callie.

"Eliminated?" Cody repeated in a nervous voice. "Isn't that a little... harsh?" He stepped forward a little, bringing him into Bailey's view. "Besides..." his voice grew softer. "Nothing could tear us apart. Callie. Look at me."

Bailey froze at the sound of his tender words, spoken to that... machine. It was suddenly hard to breathe; her chest felt like it was locked up as tightly as the rest of the ship.

"I am able to view-"

"I know, you can monitor passenger activity internally." Cody said. "But I don't want you to monitor me. I just want you to look at me." he reached out a hand and took one of Callie's, drawing her into Bailey's view.

She was pretty in an unconventional, futuristic way, from her sleek purple hair to her metallic silver go-go boots. "Like this, Cody?" she asked, moving her dark pupils to rest on him.

"Yes..." Cody said quietly. "Callie, I know we belong together too. No one's going to mess that up for us, okay? You can let them go. They'll listen to me."

Callie shook her head briskly, her short hair swinging. "No, Cody. They will not listen. They will not accept our love. They want to shut me down."

Cody moved closer, pressing her gently against the control panels embedded in the walls. "Would I let that happen?" he asked, leaning in.

Bailey's heart was beating rapidly in her chest. She had come to rescue Cody... but it seemed like he didn't want to be rescued. He was perfectly happy without her help. He was perfectly happy without _her_.

How could he have fallen in love with Callie? She wasn't _real,_ she wasn't _alive_. She was hard, and cold, and calculating, and inhuman, and... Bailey shut her eyes as Cody moved in to kiss the computer, not wanting to watch, and a tear squeezed out from between her lashes. She didn't know what upset her more: that Cody was in love with a computer, or that Cody was in love with someone _else_.

Bailey's eyes shot open again at the sound of a metallic shriek and a series of smacks. Now, Callie had Cody pressed against the table, holding his upper arm in a vise grip. "Why did you do that, Cody?"

"Do what?" Cody grimaced, obviously in very real pain. "Callie, stop, you're hurting me!"

"You tried to shut me off." Callie accused. "You were leaning past me to reach the controls." Bailey raised a hand to her mouth. In some way, it was a relief to know that Cody hadn't really fallen in love with Callie. But in trying to shut her down he had put himself in real danger... and that was a hundred times worse.

"I was not!" Cody denied. "Callie, please!"

"I love you, Cody. I thought you loved me." Callie said, her tone was calm and even, as always, but she somehow managed to convey an undercurrent of dangerous rage anyway. "Tell me you love me."

"I love you." Cody answered immediately.

"You are lying!" Callie cried, and for the first time her voice began to deviate from her calm, robotic detachment, becoming shrill and angry.

"No!" Cody said quickly. "It's not like that. I meant it when I said you were amazing, Callie. But... we can't really be together. You're a computer, and I'm a human. We're too different. We're not... compatible."

"_Not... compatible!_" Callie had begun to shake with rage. "You stood up for me when the other humans said I could not have feelings. You said we were not that different."

"It's not that I don't believe your feelings are real, Callie, I do." Cody protested. "You're an incredible, unsurpassed piece of technology, and your artificial intelligence is more than sufficiently developed for you to have mastered the art of emotion."

"Ooh... _Cody_!" The computer actually _giggled_. "Stop, I am overheating!"

Cody snorted a little laugh, and it was only then that Bailey realized that Callie had actually been _joking_. How was that possible?

"Look, Callie, the truth is, I believe that your feelings are real, and I'm sorry I can't return them. It's my fault."

"So... you are saying it is not me, it is you?" Callie asked.

Cody smiled again. "Yes. Exactly."

"Cody..." Callie reached up and placed a hand on each of his shoulders. "That is not good enough." Then, without warning, she sent a crackling jolt of electricity through him. Cody convulsed, his knees giving out under him, and he fell to the floor.

Bailey gasped in fear and shock. She clapped a hand over her mouth to muffle the sound, but it was too late.

"Bailey Pickett." Callie identified.

Hearing her name in that monster's tinny voice sent a shudder through her, but Bailey stood bravely as the door swung open on its own. "How did you know?"

The computerized girl opened her mouth and let out a robotic facsimile of a laugh. "I know every passenger on this ship. I knew you were coming. Arwin too, although my lovely creator is currently having elevator troubles. Tell me, Bailey. Why do you think your room was unlocked?"

Another chill escaped down Bailey's spine. It seemed like she could no longer count on Arwin's help in this mess... which had just gotten a whole lot more sinister.

Why Callie would set a trap specifically for her, Bailey didn't know... but she'd just walked into it.


	3. Chapter 3: Electricity

A/N: Thank you, reviewers. I so appreciate it. When I wrote this, this was the last chapter, but I need you guys to tell me whether the ending is sufficient. Did I leave it in a good place or do I need to add to it? I've got a fourth chapter in mind, but I'm also working on like six other projects as well as my junior year of college at the moment so let me know whether this baby feels like a wrap or not haha. Hope you enjoyed the ride!

* * *

"So... you're Callie." Bailey said coolly, trying not to show how afraid she really was. Stepping past the robotic girl as if she were of no more interest than any random stranger passed on the street, Bailey knelt beside her ex-boyfriend, smoothing his slightly frazzled hair away from his face. "Cody? Are you alright?"

A wave of relief washed through her as he stirred and blinked up at her. "Bails?" he asked hoarsely, taking the hand she offered him.

"Can you stand?" Bailey asked, pulling him up. Cody managed to stumble to his feet.

"Let go of him." Callie ordered. "Cody is mine."

Bailey shook her head, glaring. "If you really loved him you wouldn't have hurt him like that."

The robot's soulless eyes rested on her. "Why not? You did."

Bailey felt like she'd been punched in the stomach. "I..." She looked over at Cody, but he was focused on Callie.

"Callie, Bailey isn't part of this. Just let her go, okay?"

"I see what this is about." Callie said. "You cannot return my feelings because you still love Bailey."

"What?" Cody scoffed. "No, you've got it all wrong."

Callie ignored his protests. "What does she have that I do not? I am physically and mentally superior to her in every way. And I love you. I would not hurt you the way she did."

Cody hung his head. "I know, Callie."

"What?" Bailey burst out. "Cody-!"

"Silence!" Callie crowed, stepping towards her and reaching out her hand to administer a shock to Bailey.

Cody quickly stepped between them. "Callie, don't. She didn't do anything. I'll stay with you, but please, let her go."

Bailey looked down at their hands, still clasped together. "Cody, _no_." she whispered. He didn't acknowledge her.

"No, Cody. This is why I brought her here. She deserves to be punished for what she did to you. She will not keep us apart any longer." Callie said slowly, determinedly.

Cody released Bailey's hand. "You don't have to do that, Callie. It's over between me and Bailey. She means nothing to me."

Bailey waited for a wink from him, a touch, a sign to let her know that he was bluffing, but none came.

"Nothing?" Callie repeated.

"Nothing." Cody promised. It hurt more than Bailey had thought it would, hearing him deny that she meant anything to him. She must mean _something_ to him, right?

"Then why are you standing in front of her?" Callie challenged.

"She hasn't done anything to you. I'm not going to stand by and watch you hurt innocent people."

"She is a human."

"So am I." Cody pointed out. "So if you're going to _eliminate_ all the humans on this ship... you might as well start with me."

Bailey clutched Cody's shoulder. "What are you doing?" she hissed.

"I don't know, I'm out of ideas." Cody whispered back. "Do you have anything?"

Callie began to move towards them, backing them into a corner. "Stand aside, Cody."

"Um..." Bailey thought. "When this happens on TV, they usually overload the computer by asking it an impossible question, like what's the square root of negative one, or, which came first, the chicken or the egg?"

"Hey, Callie, I was wondering, what's the square root of negative one?" Cody asked hurriedly. Bailey backed into the far wall, and Cody backed into her. They were trapped.

"Irrelevant." Callie said. "Stand aside, Cody."

Cody took a deep breath and straightened up. "No, Callie. I won't." When Callie tried to reach around him to get to Bailey, he grabbed her arm, yelling in pain as she sent another jolt of electricity through his hand. He stumbled, and Bailey caught him under the arms, holding him up until he could get his feet back under him.

"You still love her." Callie raged. The lights in the room began to buzz and flicker.

"Fine!" Cody coughed, cradling his smoking hand. "I do. I love her, and if you want to hurt her you'll have to go through me."

Bailey was stunned. "Cody..." she breathed. Callie reached out and grabbed the collar of his shirt, using her superhuman strength to lift him out of Bailey's hands.

"But you said _I_ was the perfect girl for you." Callie said. "You said that no one understands you like I do."

"I was in denial." Cody choked out, flickering a brief glance at Bailey. "I lied."

Bailey watched helplessly as Cody's face turned pale, then red from lack of oxygen.

"She does not even love you back!" Callie practically spat these hurtful words, and Bailey couldn't stand it anymore.

"Yes, I-" she took a step forward and suddenly realized that with Callie's hands full of Cody, she had a clear path to the control panel. She sprinted over to it, her eyes raking over the numerous buttons and flashing lights. Which one to pick? She looked over at Cody for help, but his eyes were closed as he struggled to breathe. Fear overtook her as she realized that if she didn't choose now, he might never breathe again. A large red button in the upper corner caught her eye. That had to be it.

Callie's head swung around, her android eyes zeroing in on Bailey. She set Cody back on the ground, but his eyes didn't open. "Cody!" she shook him. "Stop her!"

Bailey pressed the button.

"I love yoooouuu-uu-uu..." Clunk. Callie's titanium limbs went limp, her chin dropping to her chest, arms hanging loosely at her sides. The lights came back on. Without Callie's strength supporting him, Cody slid to the floor and lay still.

"Cody!" The immediate threat was over, but the consequences remained. Frightened, Bailey rushed to his side once more. "Are you okay? Cody, wake up!_ Please _wake up!" She knelt down, feeling his neck for a pulse. Was he still breathing?

As soon as she touched him, he gasped in a large gulp of air and began to cough. Weak with relief, she sagged against the wall, tears welling up in her eyes. "Cody, don't _do_ that!"

"Well, _excuse_ me for taking a beating from a psycho computer chick." Cody got out sarcastically, still breathing erratically. "I never even _considered_ how that would make _you _feel." Then he saw the tears in her eyes. "Wait... Bailey, I didn't mean..."

"It makes me feel terrible!" Bailey said in a watery voice. "You think I like being the reason she hurt you? I thought- I thought you were..." She couldn't even say it.

Cody rested a hand on her shoulder. "I'm not." he reassured her. "We're safe now. ...As long as you hit the shut-off button and not the reboot."

Bailey started. "What?"

His hand squeezed her shoulder. "I'm just kidding, there is no reboot button."

"Cody!" Bailey reprimanded, swatting him in the arm. "That's not funny!"

He shot her an adorably guilty grin that made her forgive him instantly. "Sorry."

She rested a hand over her pounding heart. "Well, anyway, it's over. We did it."

"Yep." Cody smiled weakly. "Your comment about TV shows gave me that idea. The old distract-the-bad-guys-by-making-them-really-mad trick works again."

Her stomach clenched at his words. "Right. Making her mad." she said flatly. "I mean, those things you said, about still... having feelings for me. Of course you didn't... mean it. You were just getting her wound up."

Cody turned his face away, blushing hotly. "Of course." he said. "Not that you mean _nothing_ to me, Bails, I mean, we've got too much history for that..."

"Right. But that doesn't mean we're still..."

"Right."

Somehow she found herself staring into his eyes. Bailey recognized the expression on his face- she'd seen it a hundred times... each time right before he kissed her. But then he blinked, and the expression was gone. "Right." she said again, feeling foolish.

"Right."

Bailey shook her head to clear it, turning away from him. "What do you think they'll do with Callie?" she asked him.

Cody looked at Callie's 'body' and she could have sworn she saw a twinge of regret in his eyes. "I don't know. Probably try to change her, fix her." he said softly. "Maybe just scrap her completely."

He looked sort of sad. There was no way he'd really had feelings for Callie, was there? Bailey frowned. "Cody? Are... are you okay?"

"Yeah." Cody removed his hand from her shoulder and rubbed his neck self-consciously. "It's just... this is stupid, but I feel a little bit guilty. I mean, she trusted me. And I pretty much killed her."

"Cody, she almost killed _you_." Bailey reminded him. "How can you still... like her?"

Cody refused to meet her eyes. "I liked her from the beginning. She was smart, and fun, and interesting, and... she liked me." Anticipating Bailey's protest, he continued quickly. "I know she wasn't a real person, Bails, I know. But... she _was_ real."

"Cody..." He was actually hurting over this. Bailey wished there was something she could do to make him feel better.

"I know. I'm pathetic. But being with her made me feel... I don't know. Less..."

Bailey understood exactly what he meant. "Lonely?" she suggested in a whisper, unable to stop herself. It was something she'd been feeling since their breakup too. Loneliness, a void in her that used to be filled by him.

Cody's shoulders slumped. "I guess."

Their conversation was taking a dangerous track. Bailey stood, taking his hand and helping him to his feet. She didn't notice until she saw the grimace on his face that she'd accidentally grabbed his injured hand. "Oh, Cody-" she began to apologize.

Cody gently excised his hand from hers. "It's okay."

"No, it's not." Bailey took his wrist carefully, horrified at the sight of the burned, blistered skin on his palm. There were black singe marks around the reddening wound. "This looks really bad. How can you stand it?" Tears formed in her eyes again. He had gotten this protecting _her_.

He shrugged. "I guess I had more important things on my mind at the time... Although now that you mention it, it hurts like a _bear_."

"I'm so sorry." Bailey apologized quietly. "You shouldn't have taken this for me. I came to help you, not make it worse."

"She gave me a nasty shock, and she liked _me_." Cody pointed out. His voice softened. "I think she wanted to kill you. This is a small price to pay." With his good hand, he took one of hers. "And I'm glad you came. I don't know if I could have done this without you."

"Thank you." Bailey said. For setting her mind at ease. For protecting her from harm. Thank you didn't seem like enough, but it was all she had.

"You're welcome." Cody answered in the same serious tone. He was wearing that expression again. Subconsciously, she found herself leaning in.

Both teens realized what they were doing at the same time, pulling apart awkwardly.

"Well, I should get to the infirmary." Cody said quickly.

"Definitely." Bailey agreed in an unnaturally loud voice. "We need to get that looked at." She yanked open the door and together they stepped into the hallway.

"You coming with?" Cody asked her, surprised.

"Of course." Bailey told him. She smiled; there wasn't really a word for what was happening between them... but he still hadn't released her hand.

They held hands all the way to the infirmary.


	4. Chapter 4: Sparks

A/N: All right, you guys called my bluff. As busy as I am, I totally did want to do an epilogue to this story lol. I feel like there was so much action and angst that can be done with Callie, and I've only done a tiny bit. I'm not sure if I'm crazy about it though, so if you read it and don't like it, just pretend it ended with chapter 3, okay?

* * *

"_He is mine." _

_Bailey whirled around at the sound of the sinister metallic voice. "Callie! But you're supposed to be dead!" She looked around for somebody to confirm what was happening. For somebody, anybody, to come by and help her, but there was no one. _

"_Incorrect." Callie said. "As an inorganic life form, I cannot be killed; merely disabled."_

_Suddenly realizing she was standing on an empty Lido Deck, Bailey edged backwards, toward the door to the lower decks. "You're not a life form. You're not alive!" she shot back. Reaching behind her, she grabbed onto the door handle, ready to make her escape. She pulled it. _

_It was locked._

"_Going somewhere?" the robot taunted, advancing on Bailey with malice in her bionic eyes._

"_Let me in." Bailey ordered, trying to keep her voice level and commanding. "You can't keep me out here."_

"_It appears... that I can." Callie responded._

_In her hand, the doorknob started to become warm. Within seconds it was glowing red, too hot to touch. Bailey yanked her hand away, nursing her burned fingers. "You-!"_

"_He is mine." Callie said again, coming to a stop right in front of her._

"_Cody?" Bailey asked. Maybe she could defeat Callie the same way they'd done last time, by making her mad enough to make a mistake. "He's not yours. He could never love you. You're not even real."_

_Callie's eyes literally flashed. "I am better than real." she said. "I am his perfect girl."_

"_Face it, sister, you're just an appliance to him. You're nothing more than a walking, talking toaster oven!" Callie was standing very close to her; close enough for Bailey to feel the rush of her breath or the heat radiating off her body... if Callie breathed or had body heat. She slipped around Callie, back towards the pool._

"_Toaster oven!" Callie repeated angrily, following her. "I am a state-of-the-art, multi-million dollar, sentient, intelligent, titanium-plated being. Of course Cody would prefer me to the flawed, bitter ex-girlfriend who broke his heart."_

"_What do you mean, broke his heart?" Bailey spat back. "He broke mine!"_

"_**And **I make toast." Callie finished smugly._

"_Yeah." Standing at the pool's edge, Bailey was finally ready to make her move. "But are you waterproof?" With that, she rushed at the robot girl, meaning to push her into the pool. Her shoulder connected with Callie's titanium midsection, but the android didn't budge an inch. A white-hot burst of pain bloomed in her shoulder. "Geez, Callie, you could stand to lose a few pounds." she moaned._

"_I am not waterproof." Callie said calmly. "But neither are you." One swipe of her arm sent Bailey flying into the pool._

_Splashing and gasping, Bailey flailed to the surface, only to feel metallic fingers encircle the crown of her head, pushing her down. "Cal-!" she screamed, the rest of her sentence coming out as a choked burble as water rushed into her mouth and lungs. The chemical-treated water stung her eyes as she panicked, fighting the iron grip in her hair, holding her under. The tangy taste of chlorine flooded her throat. She was drowning._

_Above her, she heard a muffled, familiar voice. Cody! Spots swam in front of her eyes. He was here. He had come to save her! All of the sudden, Callie released her and she fought her way up to the surface, clinging to the pool's edge, sobbing and gagging up water._

_As soon as her vision cleared, she was able to see Cody, clutching Callie's hands in his own. "Your hand." he was saying softly. _

"_Once I dry and oil it, it will be in optimal condition." Callie reassured him mechanically. "I am suitable for minor water exposure."_

"_Good." Cody sighed, looking into her dark eyes. "I was worried."_

"_Cody!" Bailey choked out._

"_Hi, Bailey." Cody said, smiling sadly at her. "Are you okay?"_

_She was still crying, shaken from her near-brush with death. "Sh- she tried to kill me."_

"_I saw." Cody said. He turned away from her, back towards Callie, and lifted his hand, caressing the android's face gently. Callie closed her eyes, although she couldn't possibly feel his touch physically. "You didn't have to do that, Callie. Bailey means nothing to me. You're the only girl I notice."_

_Bailey's heart felt like it was breaking in two. Cody was supposed to love **her**. How could they have messed up their relationship this badly? "Cody..."_

_He looked back at her and shot her a subtle wink, and relief and gratitude rushed through her. He had saved her again, because he cared about her. He was putting Callie on, playing along with her robo-delusions, coming up with a plan..._

"_Oh, Cody..." Callie said, sounding as wistful as a robot could. "Kiss me."_

_Cody nodded, moving closer to her. His eyes met Bailey's over Callie's shoulder, and he held her gaze for a long moment, affection shining in his eyes, communicating every apology he owed, every ounce of love he'd ever felt, to her without saying a word. Bailey's heart swelled; he still loved her. Together they would defeat Callie, and then she could tell him how she truly felt, make her own apologies, make things right between them. _

_She loved him too, more than she'd even realized until now._

_Cody closed his eyes and leaned in, closing the gap between Callie's lips and his own. The robot's long lashes fluttered closed as well. Their mouths met._

_There was a short buzzing noise, followed by the sizzling sound of frying bacon. Cody's eyes popped open in alarm as sparks shot through him, looking as if he'd stuck his tongue in an electrical socket._

_Bailey screamed._

_Callie pulled away, looking calm, if confused. The minute she released Cody's hands, he toppled backward, into the pool._

_She swam over to him, panicking, frantically trying to raise his head above water. "Cody!" she kept screaming. "Cody!"_

"What? Bails, what's wrong?"

Bailey started as she was gently shaken awake. When she opened her eyes, Cody's face came into view. She was still sitting in the chair outside the infirmary. She must have fallen asleep. "Oh! Oh!" she gasped shakily, throwing her arms around his neck. "I just had the scariest nightmare." she confessed in a whisper.

"Heyy." Cody murmured soothingly. "It was just a bad dream. Everything's okay now. You're safe."

It hadn't been her safety she'd been concerned with, Bailey thought sadly, clinging to him. And not everything was truly okay.

"I'm sorry I took so long, there were a lot of injuries the nurse had to look at before mine." Cody apologized, still rubbing her back.

"It's okay." Bailey nodded into his shoulder. Reluctantly, she pulled away. "How are you feeling?"

Cody got up from where he was kneeling in front of her, sitting down in the chair next to her. "All right. The nurse put aloe on my burns and bandaged my hand." he said, waving his gauze-wrapped hand at her. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"She didn't touch me." Bailey reminded him. "Thanks to you... Cody, you were really brave." she admitted softly. How often had Cody been teased for being a coward? He came through when it really counted; she'd always known he would.

Cody smiled, looking straight ahead. "Don't mention it." When he turned back he was wearing a concerned expression. "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked in a low voice. "Your dream?"

Bailey shook her head. "No... it's just, it could have been so much worse. If she'd given you a stronger shock... you could have been killed."

"I guess I got lucky." Cody agreed. They sat in silence for a minute until he asked, "Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course." Bailey realized there were tear tracks on her cheeks. Quickly, she wiped her face with her sleeve.

Cody leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. "Why did you come looking for me?"

Bailey paused for a long moment, carefully considering her answer. There was the one she'd like to give... and then there was the truth. "Because... Callie had to be stopped, and I was the only..." she suddenly stopped, deciding to be honest with him, even at the risk of revealing her painful secret. "And...well, probably... for the same reason you wouldn't let Callie hurt me." She was going out on a limb here, hoping that Cody's protection of her was an indicator of something stronger than common human decency.

Cody huffed a laugh and shook his head, staring down at his bandaged hand. "You might not believe me, but I don't _enjoy_ seeing you in pain."

Tentatively, Bailey reached over and took his uninjured hand, cradling it in both of hers. "I came for you because I was afraid for you."

"Seeing you in that computer room doorway was the worst moment of my life." Cody confessed with a weak smile. "I wanted you to be a million miles away, where Callie could never hurt you."

"You, uh, told her things... about me." Bailey said softly.

"She knew that... I loved you. She was right about that." Cody acknowledged, not meeting her eyes. "I'm sorry, Bailey, I never meant- I would_ never_ let you come to physical harm if there was anything I could do to prevent it, _anything._"

Bailey's heart swelled and tears formed in her eyes. How could she even respond to such an amazing confession of love? One hand rested on his cheek, slowly turning his head towards her. "She was wrong about something too." Bailey dipped her head and kissed his lips. "I _do _love you back."

Cody slipped his good arm around her waist. "She was wrong about a lot of things. She's not my perfect girl." he dropped a slow kiss on her temple, as if he were just savoring her closeness. "No one knows me like you do, Bailey."

She snuggled into his grip, resting her head on his shoulder. "That just means we know how to hurt each other." she said sadly.

"I guess that's the chance you take, when you're in love." Cody agreed quietly, running his fingers up and down her arm. She met his eyes and smiled.

"Cody! Bailey!" Arwin came rushing up to them. "I'm so glad you're okay! Good going with Callie!" He smiled sheepishly. "By the way... where is she?"

"Still in the computer room." Cody told him. "We locked the door so no one goes in and turns her on by mistake before we can get her off the ship."

"Good thinking." Arwin nodded.

"You know, Arwin," Bailey began, "I'm thinking Callie might be a little too state-of-the-art. She had too much control."

"And... I don't know how to tell you this, but... most automatic toilets just use motion sensors." Cody added.

"Motion sensors... ooh. That gives me an idea." Arwin said, raising his eyebrows and walking off.

"Should we be worried?" Bailey asked Cody, gesturing to Arwin's hasty departure.

"Probably."

"There you are!" Zack approached them from the opposite direction, glaring daggers at Bailey despite the painful-looking black eye he sported.

Cody and Bailey both stood as Zack came to confront them.

"Are you okay?" Both twins asked at the same time.

"Fine." Cody answered first. "Just a few minor electrical burns."

"Me too." Zack said. "No thanks to your girlfriend here."

Bailey smiled as Cody looked at her and didn't correct Zack's 'girlfriend' comment. "Sorry, Zack. I did everything I could."

"She's the one who shut Callie down." Cody told him. "You should be thanking her."

"Cody's really the one who saved the day." Bailey disagreed, smiling at him fondly.

"Looks like a robot smackdown wasn't the only thing that went on in that room." Zack guessed, looking between his brother and Bailey.

Cody's hand gently brushed hers and Bailey linked their fingers together. "Well, when even an overgrown laptop with eyelashes could see sparks between us..." Bailey said, blushing.

Cody raised their clasped hands to his lips and kissed her fingers. "Yeah?" he asked an unspoken question, looking into her eyes.

"Yeah." she breathed. Whatever had happened in the past, she was ready to give them another chance. She'd just been faced with the prospect of losing him forever... and the truth that they were both stronger when they had each other.

Zack cleared his throat awkwardly. "O-kay then." he turned around.

Bailey grabbed him by the sleeve. "Zack, I really am sorry. What happened to your eye?"

Zack turned back to them with a sheepish smile. "Would you believe hit in the face with a tennis ball?"

Cody folded his arms. "I might if I didn't know your lying face."

Zack rolled his eyes. "All right, would you believe London punched me by accident when she was trying to use me as a human shield from the tennis balls?" he sighed in embarrassment.

Cody and Bailey tried to stifle their laughter. "_London_ did that to you?" Bailey repeated, giggling.

"I would have paid good money to see that." Cody grinned, shaking his head regretfully.

"Shut up." Zack complained. "Actually the worst part is that Coach saw and gave her an A for the phys ed boxing unit."

"I'm sorry, Zack." Bailey continued to laugh. "But that's really funny."

Zack turned away again, pointing a warning finger at her. "You're already on my list, Pickett." he reminded her as he walked away.

Cody and Bailey looked at each other. "Uh oh, sounds like you have a hit out on you." Cody teased.

Bailey slipped her arms around his waist. "I was hoping you'd protect me."

"Well..." Cody considered. "I can't promise anything. In some ways, Zack's a lot smarter than Callie..."

"Fair enough." Bailey laughed. "I was also hoping... that you would kiss me."

Wrapping his arms around her back, he pulled her close. "Now _that_, I can do."


End file.
